Crimson Lightning
by Artaddict15
Summary: Rayne Devereaux was a girl from a broken home with a knack for science. What will she do when she accidentally gets thrown into the strange world of FMA, straight into the arms of the man himself? Will she finally find love and family in this new world? Or does fate have another plan in store for her? Haven't gotten the hang of summaries yet but the story's good. EdXOc please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**_Attention readers! I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist! If I did I'd be c_****_hillin in a jacuzzi right now... This is one of my first fan fics so don't hate on me too hard;) please read and review!_**

Chapter 1: The Mysterious Book

I ran through the darkness, the cold winter weather freezing the sweat gathering at my brow. I could taste the metallic blood on my tongue, so putrid it made me nauseous. All I had to do was get away, and I'd be safe. For awhile that is. If I could just keep going I would be okay.

I ran down the road and, finally, made it to my safe haven, the library. I stepped through the heavy antique doors with a sigh as the familiar smell of old books and polished wood calmed my nerves. I was walking the long corridors when a woman's voice called out to me.

"Rayne! What are you doing here at this hour? Oh my God your bleeding!" The voice belonged to the head librarian, Mrs. Eleanor, a middle aged woman with graying hair and a kind hearted nature, and a good friend of mine. She was the one who always took care of me when I ended up in this state. She rushed over to me and guided me to one of the many tables in the room and sat me down. I visibly relaxed as the pain in my leg eased after I removed my weight from it. Mrs. Eleanor then ran behind her large desk and retrieved her first aid kit, one she kept easily accessible because of me. She fussed over me, trying to assess the damage. The outcome: one cut on the side of my head, a split lip, a dislocated shoulder, a large gash on my leg. Overall not as bad as it could have been. I'd had worse. I still cried out in pain as she popped my shoulder back in place. That would be sore for awhile.

"Honestly child, it's a good thing I used to be a doctor." Mrs. Eleanor said as she stitched up the gash on my leg. I cringed at the uncomfortable sensation of pulling skin. When she was done she told me to be careful with it for a few weeks. She'd fixed me up enough times to assume I'd need a place to stay the night. So without further ado, she led me to one of the back rooms and set me up on a couch with a blanket and pillow. Before she left she turned to me with a sad expression.

"Rayne, why don't you leave that house and come stay with me? I can't stand the thought of that man hurting you all the time. You are such a smart and sweet girl and I'm afraid for your safety." She looked at me with such pleading eyes that I almost gave in, but I had an obligation. I hid, my pain behind a smile, like I always did. Smile and say I was fine, my life didn't suck, that I wasn't wishing for the day I would finally be free from this suffering I had to endure every day, that I wasn't so lonely sometimes I actually considered drastic measures. I just smile and act like everything is okay, and everyone would think it was.

"As much as I wish I could, my father needs me to take care of him. Even if he is a bit violent some times." Understatement of the century. Mrs. Eleanor sighed, knowing from past discussions that I wouldn't be swayed from my decision. So with one final sad glance, she turned off the light and left the room.

I tried for a long time to get to sleep but just couldn't, so I got up and left my little make shift bedroom. Mrs. Eleanor was probably asleep in her room upstairs by now so I contented myself with wandering the halls, looking for a good book to read. My feet automatically carried me in the direction of the Science section of the building, my preferred subject. I loved chemistry, knowing what makes up certain things and the ingredients of the world. It was fascinating to me and I strived to learn more about it.

I had read practically every book on the subject in the library, so now I just browsed for something that would put me to sleep. But somewhere I must have tripped on something, causing me to go flying into the bookshelf in front of me. Something heavy hit the top of my head and, for a moment, I just sat there trying to massage the pain away. I looked down to see what had hit me. It was a book. A strange leather bound book with odd circular designs on it. They looked so intricate and almost beautiful. I flipped the book over and read the title: Introduction to Alchemy. Alchemy? Like turning lead into gold? My curiosity piqued, I turned to the first page of the book. It began by describing the basis behind alchemy, knowing the materials, breaking them down, and rebuilding them as something else. I was absolutely enamored with the whole concept of it. Before I knew it I had reached the final chapter, something about human transmutation, when I heard the door to the library open. Thinking it strange that someone would be here at this hour, I got up with the book still in hand and made my way to the front lobby. Mrs. Eleanor was probably dead asleep by now, and she slept like the dead, so I would have to answer to anyone here.

"Hello?" I had barely gotten the word out before a hand slapped across my face. Hard. It sent me flying into the bookshelf behind me with the force of it. I slumped to the floor, dazed.

"So this is where you run away to all the time?" A slurred voice asked with rage. I looked up into the eyes of my still drunk father in fear. Shit, he found me. And I was in for another round of hurt. I cried out in pain as he kicked me in the stomach. I doubled over as I tried to get myself to breath. He grabbed my long red hair in his beefy hand and pulled me up to his eye level, where he proceeded to slap me a few more times. I could smell the hate on him almost as strongly as I could the stench of alcohol. I didn't really know the reason behind the beatings, probably that I was an illegitimate child my mother had with another man, or the fact that I looked just like her. I couldn't really tell through the stream of curses being hurled at me.

He threw me aside and I landed on the ground on my stomach, dropping the book open a few feet away to some random page. I wiped the blood away from my reopened lip. I tried to crawl away but a foot on my neck stopped me. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain through my back like a knife and I screamed in pain. From the corner of my eye I could see my father holding his belt in his hand like a whip. He struck again, this time drawing blood. Over and over again he hit me, and I screamed till my throat was sore. My back was probably shredded by now and I could feel warmth trickle down my sides onto the floor. I wriggled under his foot, trying to free myself. Finally there was some reprieve when he stumbled a bit, drawing his foot away from my neck to catch himself. I began to crawl forward with my arms in a desperate attempt to get away when my bloodied hand landed on the book I had dropped earlier. Little did I know, my hand had landed right on a transmutation circle.

There was a bright blue light and everything seemed to go silent for a moment. I looked down to the now glowing transmutation circle in awe. Suddenly, the blue light turned a menacing red and a huge grey eye opened below me. I screamed as hundreds of black hands reached up and grabbed me, pulling me down. Then everything went dark.

_**Hey guys! Hoped you enjoyed my first chapter of The lightning Alchemist! But more importantly, I hope I am doing this right! I'm kind of technologically challenged so I just really hope this comes out right!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist! If I did I wouldn't have to wake up at 6:15 every morning..._**

Chapter 2: Truth 

I woke up surrounded by white. I looked around, seeing nothing but white and a huge floating door. I got up and looked around, but there was no one there. Was I dead? If I was then this was sort of anticlimactic. What the hell was I supposed to do here for the rest of eternity?

I went to inspect the large door that seemed to be floating in mid air. It really was huge, twice the size of any normal door. I reached out a hand to touch it when an echoed voice called out to me.

"Do you wish to cross the gate?" It said in a voice that sounded like many voices put together. I turned around to see a white figure. Don't ask me how I could see him with an all white background but I could. It was almost as if the only thing separating him from the surrounding white was a shadowy outline. He had no eyes, no nose, no distinguishing features at all except for a wide and decidedly creepy grin on on his face. I took a step back.

"Who are you?" I asked, a little shaky. The figure stood up, shaking his head at me.

"Tsk, tsk, why is that always the first question you humans ask? Fine then, the answer: I am God, I am the world, I am the universe, I am one, I am all, and I am also you!" I decided that this being was a girl, because the predominant voice in its echoey tone and its practically indecipherable form was feminine. Suddenly, it appeared right in front of my face.

"So I ask again, do you wish to cross the gate? Or do you wish to return to the world from wence you came? Choose wisely" it asked in that creepy multiple voices. I thought about it for a moment. What did I have to go back to? A drunken, abusive father? An empty house? An empty life? No, I didn't want to go back. I'd rather end my life peacefully. Assuming i actually was dead of course. So I turned to Truth with a smile.

"I would like to cross the gate please." I smiled at it. It frowned for a moment in confusion, before replacing it again with that slightly insane smile.

"Then I should inform you of the price you will have to pay to get to the other side." It cocked its head to one side, creepy smile still in place.

"Price? But I have nothing to give. What would you like?" It frowned again. Like it wasn't getting the reaction it was expecting out of me. It walked around me like it was examining me. Then it quickly took my hands. It felt like ice cold smoke and water.

"You have beautiful hands. I think I shall take these in exchange for your passage." It smiled at me, less insane but still menacing as my hands disintegrated away. I screamed as they reappeared on Truth's body. It looked almost regretful as the gate opened behind me and the black hands once again pulled me inside. But if i really was dead it wouldn't matter if I had no hands, did it? So I just accepted it with a smile at a frowning Truth as I was pulled through the closing doors.

It waved slightly with my hand as I was left to endure the multitudes of images pouring through my head. It was too much, too much. It felt like my brain was splitting down the middle. I screamed in agony. Just when I thought I couldn't take anymore, everything made sense. The world, life, everything. Then my vision went dark.

**_Sorry for the short chapter guys! I'm tired cuz it's one o' clock in the morning and I need sleep. But if you read and review, I'll get the next chapter out sooner!_**


	3. Chapter 3

**_I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist! If I did I wouldn't be driving a mini van... _**

Chapter 3: Automail

I woke up to a severe pain in my back and hands. I was cold and wet, a combination that shouldn't make sense at the moment. I could smell wet earth and blood in the air and could hear people shouting. I was in so much pain that nothing made sense. It felt like I was dying, and that was no exaggeration, I'd come close to it a few times in my life. But this time, Mrs. Eleanor wasn't here to save me. The shouting got closer until they were right in my ear.

"Is she still alive? What happened to her? Look at her hands!" I could here the voice of a girl shouting. I wanted to tell her to be quite but my voice didn't seem to want to work through the pain.

"She's alive, but she won't be for much longer if we don't do something quick!" I opened my eyes a tad to see a short old woman and a blonde haired girl standing above me. I quickly shut my eyes from the rain pouring into them. I groaned in pain as I felt someone pick me up and carry me bridal style. I blacked out for a bit from the pain.

When I woke up again I was surrounded by noise and blotches of color. I wasn't outside anymore but in a small house with lots of machine parts strewn about it. It had such a warm feeling in it, like it held lots of memories, good and bad. I couldn't feel any hostility in the environment, a quality that had been sorely lacking in my life for a long time. I looked up to the face of the blonde girl who was carrying me. Why was she helping me? She didn't even know me. No one except Mrs. Eleanor had ever bothered to help me before.

"Ed, Al, come quick! We need your help!" The girl with blonde hair, now covered in my blood called out as she stepped into what looked like a small living room. I heard metal clanking down the halls as a suit of armor and a short boy ran into the room. What a strange combination. My vision was starting to go blurry around the edges, all the images taking on a red hue.

The boy was rather short and wore strange clothes, with blonde hair braided at the base of his neck. But the first thing I noticed were his eyes. Like liquid pools of gold they glinted in the light. They were sad, old eyes, but burned with determination. My mother had always told me that the eyes were the window to the soul, and that anyone with good eyes (figuratively speaking) had good character. This boy certainly had good character.

"What happened?" The boy shouted but stopped when he saw me writhing in pain on the couch.

"Hurry Ed, I need you to hold her down while I stop the bleeding!" The girl shouted to the boy. After a moment of hesitation, Ed ran over to me and held my shoulders down. He gasped at something, probably my rather noticeable lack of anything past my wrists and clenched his hands a little tighter. The girl with blonde hair grabbed a piece of cloth and put pressure on the stumps where my hands used to be.

I couldn't help it, I screamed in agony, my back arched and my head thrust back in pain. My salty tears mixed with my own dripping blood, making them a strange shade of pink. I writhed under Ed's grip but his firm hold didn't budge. I screamed again, ignoring my still bleeding back as I squirmed. The old lady came back into the room holding a syringe filled with clear liquid. She ran over to me and plunged the long needle into my thigh. After a few moments, I fainted for the forth time that day.

An odd, echoey voice woke me up. I was stiff and sore and still in a great deal of pain. My hands, or used to be hands, were aching and my back stung like hell. I was laying on my stomach, which was a good thing considering the state my back was in, but the prolonged pressure was making my breasts hurt. If I didn't turn over soon I was sure they'd fall off.

"It's ok Al, I'll take over from here." The voice of that boy, Ed, said, probably answering the echoey voice earlier. I heard heavy metal footsteps leave the room. Ahh, that strange suit of armor. Suddenly my back began to sting severely and I moaned in pain.

"Ahh! You're up! How are you feeling? Wait, don't turn over!" I didn't listen and turned toward him anyway. He was looking away with a deep red blush on his cheeks that was actually kind of funny. I looked down at myself to see what all the fuss was about and found that the only thing that was keeping my girls from the world was a thin layer of bandages. I shrieked and covered myself with the blanket that was draped around my hips.

Suddenly, a wrench came flying from the doorway and hit Ed upside the head. He landed face first on the ground in a position I found it hard not to laugh at, arms splayed out in front of him, face to the ground, legs spread eagle.

"Ed, what have you done to the poor girl, you shrimp? She's only been awake for, what, ten seconds?" The blonde haired girl, the one who found me, was standing in the doorway, arm still raised from having thrown the wrench. In a time spanning a second or less, Ed was up and looking pissed, with a noticeable bump on the back of his head.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT THAT HE'D GET CRUSHED BY A GRAIN OF SAND!" A vein was visibly popping out of his forehead. The sight was so funny I couldn't keep it in anymore. I laughed at the top of my lungs, causing my back to ache painfully, so I had to stop soon after I started, with a groan. I clutched my back and fell back to the bed.

"Hey, are you ok?" Ed ran over to me but was pushed aside by the blonde girl.

"Her bandages need to be changed. Ed, grab her arms, this is going to hurt. Without hesitation, he grabbed my biceps. I winced as the blonde girl cut open the soiled bandages. Everyone in the room sucked in a breath at the gruesome sight that was my back. I looked like I had just come walking out of that horror film, what was it, Chainsaw Massacre? The skin was pretty much shredded to ribbons with angry red cuts laced through my back, courtesy of my father's belt. In one place, I swear you could see a tiny bit of the bone on my shoulder blade. It was so disturbing that I could practically feel the faces around me going green. Good thing I couldn't see it myself. I heard heavy metal footsteps running out of the room, probably going to be sick.

I hissed in pain and clutched Ed's arm as the blonde girl applied some antiseptic to the wounds. It only took a few minutes but it stung like hell. I tried not to scream but it felt like someone was literally pouring salt in the wounds. By the time it was done I was left panting and shaking, still clutching Ed's arm for dear life. Someone said something I didn't catch before everyone except Ed left the room.

I hesitantly let go of his arm before realizing that I shouldn't be able to hold on to it at all. I looked at my new metallic hands in awe as I clenched them and reopened them.

"How.." I began, but Ed cut me off.

"It's called automail, mechanical prosthetic limbs. Hope you don't mind that Winry installed them while you were out. You probably would have died of blood loss without them." He told me. Huh. Well that's convenient. At least I wouldn't have to go without hands. That would be a pain in the ass. Stupid Truth. That reminds me.

"Where am I?" Ed gave me a strange look. "You're in Resembool. Why? Expecting somewhere else?"

"Re-sem-bool?" I tried pronouncing the strange name. No where I've heard of. Just where the hell did Truth send me?! "Where is that?" I asked. His look got even more incredulous.

"In Amestris! How can you not know what country you're in?" I looked at him like it should be obvious, although I probably shouldn't have expected him to know. It's not like I was carrying around a sign that said "Hi, I'm from another world" on it.

"Because I'm not from here. I'm from a place called America. I think I accidentally did some alchemy or something and the next thing I know I'm talking to this weird thing called Truth who took my hands and sent me through this big door. I just woke up here...how long ago was it anyways?" He stared at me for a moment. Stared some more. Then it finally clicked.

"YOU SAW THE GATE!" He roared and I had to close my ears.

"Geez there's no need to shout! What's the big deal?" I was flabbergasted by his reaction. Was it really that bad?

"You performed the taboo! Human transmutation!" He exclaimed, pointing at me. I just looked at him blankly. Hadn't anyone ever told him that it's rude to point? All I did was touch that weird alchemy book and _whoosh_ I'm here. What was all this about human transmutation? I remember reading about it in that book but I never got to finish. Something about being forbidden...

"No I didn't, I don't even know what I did! Alchemy isn't even real! It was just some stupid book!" I shouted at him, getting in his face. He looked firmly at me before pushing my shoulders into the bed a good distance away so he could talk to me.

"Oh, alchemy is real alright and you did it! You must have or you wouldn't have seen the gate!" He pushed down a little harder and I squirmed, uncomfortable with the proximity. Don't get me wrong, it's not like he wasn't attractive. Actually, now that I had a closer look at him, I realized that he was actually really hot. _Stop yourself, Rayne, before you embarrass yourself! _I chastised myself.

He was looking intensely into my eyes and looked as if he was about to say something when another wrench flew into the back of his head. He collapsed on me and for a moment I thought he was actually dead. I blushed at the awkward position we were in but sooner than I thought was possible he was up and more pissed than before. He turned around to find Winry standing in the doorway with a tray of food in her hands.

"What was that for, you gear-head!" He screamed at her.

"I can't believe you! Perving on her like that! She's recovering from a life or death situation! She doesn't need you hitting on her!" She walked by a fuming Edward and sat on the edge of my bed with the tray of food. When he registered what she said, Ed blushed.

"I-I wasn't hitting on her!" He stammered. I laughed at his expression. Priceless.

"How are you feeling?" Winry asked me, completely ignoring Edward's ranting.

"I'm fine, my back hurts a lot and my hands kind of ache but nothing I can't handle." I smiled at her. Smile to hide the pain. It was really a force of habit at this point. She looked confused but relieved at the same time.

"That's normal, your back should be healed in a couple weeks, your hands however, may take quite a bit longer." She looked sympathetic, then concerned. "What happened to you anyway?" She asked. I looked away. I was never comfortable discussing my home life with anyone, not even Mrs. Eleanor, so I chose to remain silent. Seeming to sense my discomfort, she quickly changed the subject.

"My name's Winry Rockbell and that shorty over there is Edward Elric, what's yours?" She asked with a smile. I blocked out Edward's "short" rant while I gave my answer.

"My name is Lorayne Devereaux. But you can just call me Rayne. And by the way, he's not that short, he's taller than me anyways." I looked at at Ed with a smile, knowing that I had intentionally boosted his ego. I swear I could see his nose growing before my very eyes...

"But you're short too." Winry said. And just like that, the long nose was chopped off. Ed went to go sulk in a corner while I laughed. I was a measly 5'1. Ed was a good few inches taller than me, even without the elevator shoes (yes I noticed them). He shouldn't be so self-conscious about his height, he had the looks to pull it off. With eyes like that he should have at least gotten a few offers... No, no, stop it. I just met the guy! Even if I wasn't around boys a lot I shouldn't be having this reaction! Even if he was gorgeous...RAWR. I need a change of subject. Which reminds me...

"Winry? Do you know where my clothes are?" I asked her, hoping not to have a repeat of that awkward moment a few minutes ago. She looked at me with a strange expression.

"Uh, I don't think you want to wear those, they're kind of torn up and bloody. We already threw them out. Sorry if that wasn't okay." She said sheepishly. I shook my head and smiled reassuringly at her. "Oh, but I can lend you some of mine if you want! They might be a bit big for you but it's better than nothing but bandages!" And she rushed out of the room, leaving me to blush at the mental image she'd left me to contemplate. When I looked over I could see Ed blushing in the corner as well. Awkward turtle.

To break the silence, I picked up my tray and started eating, surprised by how hungry I was. When was the last time I ate anyways? I think it was the morning of the day I was sent here, so a long ass time ago. I was done in record time and I laid back with a satisfied sigh.

"Wow, you finished that pretty fast. When was the last time you ate something?" Ed asked me, apparently over his sulky mood. He came and sat on the edge of the bed like Winry did before.

"Depends, how long have I been unconscious?" I asked back.

"Three days." He said quickly. I practically choked. Three days?! That long?

"Well then, I guess that would make my last meal about 4 days ago." I told him, my nose scrunched in distaste. No wonder I seemed like I had lost weight. Ed was looking like he wanted to ask me something, but was interrupted by Winry bursting through the door holding up a black undershirt and a pair of work pants.

"Hey, that's my shirt!" Ed shouted at her. He went to grab it but Winry held it over her head before tossing it to me.

"All of my shirts are tube tops and that wouldn't be good for her back. Just be glad I didn't give her your pants." She crossed her arms, daring him to challenge her. He blushed slightly, sending a fleeting glance my way before nodding reluctantly. He was then rather unceremoniously pushed from the room by Winry, who slammed the door in his face.

"Hey!" He screamed, though the sound was muffled by the door.

"No boys allowed while the girls are changing! Don't want to go perving again do you?" Winry called through the door with a smirk. He screamed something along the lines of "wasn't perving on her" before stomping away. Then Winry turned to me.

"Here, let me help you change." I smiled at her gratefully. I already had a tough time using these new hands and my back was still hurting like hell so the feat of pulling a shirt over my head was pretty much impossible without her help. The shirt was a little tight on the bust but that was to be expected from a girl with C-cups, but the rest of the shirt was rather loose, which was good because that meant it didn't irritate my back. The pants, however, were at least 2 sizes too big and had to be secured with a belt. I tried rolling up the bottoms but they kept falling down so I just left them like that, hoping I wouldn't trip over them. I put my hand to my head where I was astonished to find that my hair did not seem completely gross from its long days of abuse and inattention.

"Oh yeah, I gave you a quick scrub down while you were out. Didn't think you'd wanna wake up all dirty and crusty with blood. I gotta say, though, that is some hair you've got. It's so red that I thought that the blood had permanently stained it. I spent 10 minutes trying to scrub it out before I realized it was naturally that color," she laughed out loud while she took a brush to my hair, it felt nice, "It really is beautiful though, I've never seen anything like it. And it's so soft! What did you do to get your hair so nice?" We went on and on about hair care for awhile, talking about how to get rid of split ends and what not, before we got to the reason behind the color.

I had to say, my hair was my best feature, if not the most unique. It was long, waving down to my hips, and the deepest red you've ever seen. And not red like ginger orange, but red. Like fire engine red. It was a trait I'd gotten from my deceased mother, and I took very good care of it in remembrance of her.

I really looked just like my mother, or so people told me. The only thing of my father's, my birth father's, that I had were my eyes. They were dark blue, almost black unless you looked at them in the sunlight. They were the reason why my father found out I wasn't really his child, the reason he hates me so much. He even tried to get rid of them one time, which is why I have a long scar over my right eyebrow from where he had just barely missed with a knife during one of his particularly bad drunken rages. I was lucky my dad had such bad aim or I would have been blind in that eye.

Of course, I didn't tell Winry any of this, just the part about my mother. She sympathized with my loss and told me about her own parents, a story that had quickly brought me to tears, and I hugged her. I'm sure she noticed the many scars covering my body, but to my relief, didn't ask about them.

Her story however, had shed a whole new light on my situation. I learned so much about this world, Amestris, the state alchemists, the war in Ishval, the government. It was all very fascinating to me. I had been dumped into a entirely different dimension, simply because of an accidental error on my part. An error which had cost me my hands.

I looked down at my new hands and frowned. How different they were from my old ones. I was afraid I would never get used to the lack of feeling in them, the awkward movements. But I was also thankful for them. If I had been in my world, I would have been lugging around a couple of stumps. That would have been truly horrific. All the things I would have had to learn to do with my feet...

I shuddered. No I was very thankful for these.

"Winry?" I asked hesitantly.

"Hmm?" She answered back, still playing with my hair.

"Thank you, for these," I held up my hands, "I don't know if I'll ever be able to repay you." I hugged her, and she hugged me back.

"Don't worry about it! In fact, please feel free to stay with us as long as you want. You probably don't have a place to go and, to be honest, even though I've only known you a short while, you've really grown on me. It'd be nice to have a younger sister!" She said, hugging me but careful of my wounded back. It really did feel like she was an older sister, even though she couldn't have been more than a year older than me. I'd never had a sibling. It was...nice.

We pulled apart and walked out of the room to find that the old woman, Pinako was her name, but she told me to call her Granny, was making what looked like stew in the kitchen. Winry told me she had work to do so she told me to find Edward and Alphonse, Ed's little brother in the suit of armor (I couldn't help laughing at that one), and hang out with them for awhile. They were probably out back sparring or something.

I walked out the back door to find them doing just that. They didn't seem to notice me as I walked closer. I sat down a few yards away and observed them.

They were both obviously skilled. The way they moved, it was almost beautiful. Like a dance. Ed especially. I couldn't help but stare as he leapt into the air with lethal grace, springing away neatly as his drop kick was blocked by Al's carefully placed forearm. I watched the taught muscles under his skin flex as he punched and dodged, each movement, perfectly in sync with his brother's.

Good lord, why was he so god damn hot?! I had to actively stop myself from drooling. Even with my very limited interaction with boys, seeing that I went to an all girls school, I shouldn't be so entranced by him. And yet here I was, completely hypnotized.

I shook myself out of my daze as they ended their spar. Ed seemed a little out of breath while Al seemed completely unfazed. You'd think wearing that heavy armor he'd be tired or something, but no. He looked like he hadn't even broken a sweat. He was definitely someone to be reckoned with.

After a moment of silence I couldn't help myself anymore, I gave a huge round applause. The sound of metal slamming together was odd in the place normal hands clapping. Yet another thing I'd have to get used to. They both looked up, startled to find that they weren't alone. They stared at me while I kept clapping and smiling at them.

"That was amazing!" I exclaimed. I tried to get up but winced as a sharp pain shot through my back. They both were at my side in an instant, helping me up. I looked up at them gratefully.

"Wow, Rayne, I didn't know that your eyes were blue! I thought they were black! They're really pretty!" Alphonse exclaimed. Making me blush. I looked down, no one had ever noticed my eyes so quickly. It took Mrs. Eleanor a few months to realize that about me.

"Let me see!" Ed pulled my chin up so that my eyes met his. I couldn't help but stare into the pools of liquid gold and I couldn't hide the blush that rose to my cheeks as I realized how close his face was to mine. Curse these female hormones!

"Woah, your right! Does everyone where you're from have such odd colored hair and eyes?" He asked, not seeming to notice my discomfort. I shook my head. Then I noticed something I probably should have noticed long before. His right arm, the one he was holding my chin with, was made of automail. As well as his left leg. I supposed he noticed me staring because he dropped his hand immediately and took a step back. He looked kind of nervous and pale, unlike him.

As much as I wanted to ask about the story behind his limbs, I reigned in my curiosity. It was probably personal. I certainly didn't feel comfortable sharing my past with anyone, especially someone I had literally only known for a couple hours, so I shouldn't expect anything from him. So I turned my back on him and started walking towards the house.

"Come on, Granny's making stew! I think it's almost ready!" I called over my shoulder. The two hesitated for a moment before quickly catching up to me.

"Aren't you going to ask...?" Ed began but I knew where he was going.

"No, whatever happened to you in your past is your business. It's your decision whether you want to tell me or not. But until that day comes, I won't pry. Everyone has their secrets." My tone got a little darker unintentionally on that last sentence, but the only one who seemed to notice was Al. He was kind enough not to say anything though.

I looked at my automail, and then at Ed's. _Yeah, everyone has secrets._

_**Hey guys! That was a really long chapter. But think of it as making up for that last short chapter. Great news! I got my first review today! I wanna have a couple more before I post the next chapter so make sure to write some! Thanx!**_


	4. Chapter 4

**_I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist! If I did I'd probably not be worrying about college applications right now..._**

Chapter 4: Alchemy 

I stayed with the Rockbells for three months, while I worked through my physical therapy. I was recovering at an unusually fast pace, faster even than Ed and I was nearing the completion of my therapy. Ed and Al had left a few days after they'd arrived after some tune ups to Ed's automail. Something about a Bastard Colonel and reports. I really missed them, to my surprise, even though I had only known them for about a week.

But being with Ed and Al certainly gave me an idea. In secret, for a few hours everyday, I would train myself in martial arts and alchemy. All of the knowledge I had gained from truth was still in my head, I just had to figure out how to use it. And I was pretty good at it, if I did say so myself. All of those chemistry books I read were really paying off. And I wasn't too bad at fighting either, granted I was no good in hand to hand combat because my strength was lacking, but I figured out I was pretty handy with a staff and a pretty good shot with a bow. Don't ask me why I know that bit about the bow, it's a long story.

I learned what my strengths and weaknesses were through self training. I used my size, speed, flexibility, and agility to make up for my lack of strength and stature.

But my most amazing discovery was my alchemy. I could do it without a transmutation circle, just like Ed had shown me, thanks to Truth. The type that came most naturally to me was the manipulation of lightning. I practiced with it every day, and I'm not going to lie, I have electrocuted myself once or twice, but I finally got the hang of it.

By using the metal in my automail hands (specifically the hyper-conductive aluminum alloy found in the plating) as a sort of lightning rod, I could use the energy already created by the vibration of the atoms in the air and condense them to a pinprick on the tips of my fingers. Then by pressing the tips of my index and pointer fingers on each hand together in front of me to form my inner transmutation circle, instead of clapping like Ed does, I increase the rate of vibration in the atoms ten-fold, creating enough friction in the air that a spark of electricity is created. I can then manipulate that spark into a full blown lightning bolt which can range in intensity from static shock to lethal electrocution.

Of course I would never use the lethal setting.

The easier way to do this is to take already existing electricity from another source, like a light bulb or other machine. The downfall to this is that the machinery breaks down soon after I steal its energy, which is the reason why the Rockbells have had to replace nearly every light bulb in the house and the refrigerator. It just wastes less of my energy if I take the electricity from another source.

I have been told by bystanders, however, that my hair tends to float up from the static in the air when I perform alchemy, and from the multiple screams I've gotten, I must look quite frightening. I wouldn't imagine that a strange girl with blood colored hair and shooting lightning bolts around would be all that pleasant to look at.

But I wanted to do something more with my alchemy, do something for the country that had freed me from my own. I wanted to be a state alchemist. And my opportunity to ask was coming up very soon, when Ed came for another tune up.

I ran to the house from the forest I used to practice in, excited by the idea of Ed and Al coming. They should be there by now at least. I looked up at the sky to see the sun sinking below the trees. I had stayed far longer than I had meant to.

I picked up the pace as I ran up the path to Granny's house, my home for the past three months. They still didn't know anything about my world, though I suspected that Winry and Granny had pretty much guessed at the situation with my father because of the recurring nightmare I had every couple of weeks. But I made them promise not to say anything to Ed or Al. I wasn't ready for them to know yet.

I made my way to the front door and crept in, careful not to make any noise with my footsteps. I heard male voices in the kitchen. _They're here. Time to make an entrance._

I crept through the halls to the already open kitchen door and slyly looked around the corner. Ed was standing closest to the door with his back to me. I smiled evilly, a plan forming in my head. Al seemed to see me and was about to say something but I put a finger to my lips, motioning for him to be quiet. I crept up slowly behind Ed as I listened to whatever it was he was saying.

"Where's Rayne anyway? I haven't seen her yet and we've already been back for a couple hours..." Ed was saying. A couple hours? I didn't realize I was that late.

By now everyone in the room had seen me except for my unfortunate target and were trying not to sneak glances at me and give my position away. The evil smile grew wider on my face. Only a foot away. I was spending too much time with Winry.

"Oh, she's closer than you think Ed." Granny Pinako said with a smirk. Looking directly at me. That was my cue.

"What do you...?" Ed began, half turned around, but he never got to finish.

"BONZAI!" I screamed as I landed on top of him. And down he went, face first into the ground in that same hilarious position he was in the first time I saw Winry throw a wrench at him. Everyone in the room burst into laughter, myself included. I don't think I've laughed so hard since I came to this world. Ed's bewildered expression just made me laugh harder. I was rolling on the ground in tears before he regained his senses and got up. He blushed as he got up, embarrassed that I was able to sneak up on him like that.

After a few minutes of brooding on his part and laughing on ours, we finally calmed down. We all sat at the table and started to eat our stew while we talked to Ed about his travels. I only half listened, trying to come up with a good way of broaching the subject of my becoming a state alchemist. After a few minutes and coming up with zilch I decided that to be blunt was the best course of action.

"I wanna be a state alchemist!" I blurted out. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at me, even Ed. Okay, maybe that was a little too blunt.

"You want to what?" Ed asked, incredulously. I looked down at my lap, tapping my fingers together nervously.

"I want to become a state alchemist." I said a little more calmly. Silence. I looked up and everyone was still staring at me. I shifted uncomfortably. Ed was the first to break the silence.

"But you don't even know alchemy! How could you possibly pass the test!" He shouted, spoon pointed directly at my face. My temper flared and I could feel the energy pouring into my finger tips from my still tapping fingers. I really had to fix that nervous habit. Suddenly, there was a power surge and the light bulb above the kitchen table went dead , leaving the room in total darkness.

"Not again!" Winry complained.

"Whoops, sorry" I apologized sincerely.

"I'll get the spare, a little light please Rayne?" Granny Pinako said with a resigned sigh.

"Sure." I pressed my fingers together, gathering the electricity from the light bulb in my fingers and creating a little mini ball of lightning. It made enough light that Granny could rummage through one of the kitchen drawers for one of the many spare light bulbs she had been keeping there since I moved in. She quickly replaced the light bulb and I let my light fizzle out.

"What the hell was that?" Ed asked after a few moments. I sighed.

"That was me and my non-existent alchemy." I said crossing my arms. We stared at each other, facing off.

"I had a feeling you would come to this decision. You have my permission." We all looked at Granny, shocked. She was the last person I expected to accept my decision, what with all her "dog of the military" comments. I smiled and hugged her.

"Thank you Granny!" She patted my head (she was standing on a chair so she could reach up that high) and smiled. Winry sighed and I turned to her. She scratched the back of her head.

"Yeah I kinda figured you were headed in that direction too. I'll let you join the military only if you promise to visit more than this idiot." She pointed in Ed's direction.

"Hey!" I heard in the background but I ignored it. I hugged her, tears welling up in my eyes.

"Thank you!" I pulled back to see that she was crying too. Al looked pretty happy in the background hopping on each foot like a giddy little kid.

"Yay! Rayne's gonna travel with us!" Ed cleared his throat and looked concernedly at me.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" He asked me and I smiled and nodded, determination in my eyes.

"Yes." I had spent long hard hours thinking about this. I truly wanted to be a state alchemist, and help Ed and Al on their quest, whatever it was. _And if I got to work with Ed that'd be a plus. _Nope, nothing but pure intentions here.

**_Dun Da Da DAAA! My new chapter! Please read and review! Also, tell me if you have any plot suggestions, I'm all ears!_**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Hello dearies! I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist, if I did, I would have given Al a love interest...**_

Chapter 5: Leaving

At the moment, I was struggling with a question that every girl comes across in their lifetime.

What should I wear?

I was currently standing over my half filled suit case, mulling over my dilemma. For the greater part of my three months at the Rockbell house, I had been sharing a wardrobe with Winry, who didn't seem to mind. But now that I was going off on my journey, it was a unanimous decision that I should get my own clothes. So Winry had stolen *cough-cough* borrowed Ed's wallet and we'd gone shopping.

The problem: All the clothes in this dimension were either weird or incredibly out-dated.

The bigger problem: I lacked any sort of proper sense of style that a girl my age should have.

The biggest problem: Winry loved to shop. And I mean LOVED.

She had dragged me around to every store in this town and the next, picking out every item of clothing she thought was cute and buying it. Unsurprisingly, given her own wardrobe, many of the things she picked out were a tad bit risqué. I did manage to buy a few things that I liked, but they were few and far between.

Like the combat boots I now wore, practical yet stylish. Or I thought so anyways.

I finally decided on a form fitting black long sleeved top, low v-neck but not enough to be slutty, that ended just above my navel. Yeah, that wouldn't drive me crazy. I also picked a red mini skirt, a tad shorter than I was comfortable with if I was being honest, and a leather black belt.

I looked in the mirror. It didn't end up so bad, a little showy but hey, I'd been wearing pretty much nothing but tube tops for the last three months. I shrugged, grabbed my suitcase, and hurried towards the door.

"Hey Rayne! The train's gonna leave without us if you don't hurry up!" Ed called. I huffed and grabbed the door handle. I yanked the door open and came face to face with the man himself, fist still raised like he was about to knock on the door. I blushed at the close proximity and stepped back. He seemed a little flustered himself.

"Are you ready?" He asked, looking me up and down to see if I was. I nodded, uncomfortable under his gaze. He turned around swiftly and hurried towards the staircase. I fidgeted with the bottom of my shirt, trying to pull it down to a respectable length, without success.

"Well, come on then. We've gotta get moving. Why do girls take so long to get ready anyways?" He said as we made our way to the kitchen. I took offense to that. I hadn't taken that long had I?

"Impatience will get you no where Ed. It will only serve to make long minutes even longer. And your temper shorter." I added the last bit as a side note, knowing it would irritate him. I waited for his rather predictable reaction. He didn't disappoint. I saw the huge vein pop on his forehead and knew what was coming.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SHORTER THAN HIS TEMPER!" He roared. I laughed. I could see why Winry did this so often, it was freaking hilarious.

"Easy Ed." Al said from off to my left in his strange, echoey voice. He seemed to be the more mature of the brothers most of the time, even though he was Ed's younger brother.

I looked at him carefully. How old was he? Fourteen? There wasn't anything about him besides his high pitched voice and his kitten obsession that would convince me of this. There was no possible way that a fourteen year old could be almost six and a half feet tall, especially when his older brother was so short. Plus, there was the strange reluctance and quivering in his voice whenever he or his brother talked about his armor. Alchemy training my ass. There was clearly a reason why the boys felt like they had to lie to my face every now and again when certain topics came up (I'm good at picking up on when people are lying to me, Ms. Eleanor used to call me the 'human lie detector').

But I didn't pry. It was only fair. Whatever it was that kept him inside of that armor was part of the past they weren't ready to tell me. I would wait for the time when they were ready to share. When I was ready to share in return.

I turned to Granny Pinako and gave her a hug, picking her up as I did so. She chuckled and patted my head. Then I turned to Winry.

I could already see the tears forming in her eyes and I could feel my own well up under my lashes. I rushed to her and gave her a big hug, letting the tears I'd collected stream down my face. I was going to miss her. My big sister. The only person who had truly loved me in a long time.

"Good bye. I'll miss you." I managed to choke out, squeezing her tighter. She squeezed back, before letting go.

"I'll miss you too. Just don't go breaking your automail every five minutes like that shorty over there..."

"I'm not short!" Ed called in the background but was ignored.

"and be safe. I don't want to have to install anymore limbs on my favorite little sister." She smiled a huge grin through her tears. I smiled back. I gave her another quick hug before making my way back over to Ed and Al. I waved as I we walked out the door, still crying.

The three of us walked down the dirt path towards the town. My heart was light as I turned my mind to the bright side.

"You take care of her Ed!" Winry called from the door step. He raised a hand in acknowledgement and smiled at me. I smiled back.

And so began my journey to being a state alchemist.

**_Yay! Now the real plot begins. I'm warning you guys now that this is going to be one of my slow update stories because of the complicated plot so just be patient. And review. I garauntee I will write faster if you review._**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Oh how I love reviews, I took a look at them today and was so happy that I just danced up the stairs and starting singing "The Hills Are Alive" at the top of my lungs. If my parents weren't convinced of my insanity before, they certainly are now. Not that they mind of course. Anyways, I don't own Fullmatal Alchemist! If I did, more than just my parents would see me acting crazy...**_

Chapter 6: The Train

I'd never ridden on a train before, but I had to ask, was it normal for people to stare at you for long periods of time? Ed and Al didn't seem to notice, so maybe it was. But if that was true, why weren't other people being stared at?

I poked Ed's shoulder and he looked up from what appeared to be an official letter. He had been muttering for quite some time about "stupid paperwork" and "Bastard Colonel". I had come to realize that this was the nickname he had given to his superior officer, though I had no idea who he was or why Ed called him that. Guess I'd find out soon enough. Ed lifted his gaze from the letter and looked at me.

"Why are those people staring at us?" I asked nervously. Everyone on the train had their eyes on our compartment. I looked down and scooted closer to Ed on the seat. Once, again, I tried in vain to pull down my shirt. I wasn't used to having people's eyes on me, and it was making me uncomfortable. Ed looked around and everyone hurriedly turned their eyes away. Then I realized.

"Oh, they're all staring cuz we look so weird!" I exclaimed. I had gotten so used to Ed and Al's appearance that I didn't even notice anymore. Ed snapped his head to me.

"Hey, what do you mean weird?" I gave him a knowing look.

"It's not every day you see a girl with flaming red hair, a suit of armor and kid dressed like _you_ around." I stated simply. I had noticed before, but the only thing Ed seemed to wear was this long red jacket with a strange symbol on the back, black pants, another lighter black jacket and a pair of gloves. He never wore anything else.

"There's nothing wrong with the way I dress!" He looked so much like a pouting child that I had to giggle. He glared at me. I met his glare with a playful smile.

"How many of that same outfit do you own any ways? And if you're a state alchemist, then shouldn't you be wearing a military uniform?" I asked. He stuck his nose up in the air.

"I wouldn't wear that stiff uniform if you paid me! Plus it would kind of give us away on missions. Too noticeable." He told me, completely ignoring my first question.

"And you think walking around in bright red coat with your six and a half foot tall little brother in a suit of armor is discreet?" I raised one eyebrow and looked at him skeptically. He opened his mouth and closed it. I smirked. Victory.

We sat in silence for a while. A long while. So long that I couldn't handle it anymore. I stood up abruptly, making Ed and Al jump. I looked around for something interesting to do, until my eyes landed on the most interesting thing here. Al.

I went the short distance to where he was sitting and plopped down in front of him, making sure my skirt was covering everything (stupid Winry). I just stared at him and contemplated all the mysteries surrounding him, as I often did with random things in my spare time.. He looked kind of nervous and fidgety under my gaze. Well as nervous as a suit of armor could look. I wondered why his eyes glowed red. What kind of metal his armor was made of. Why he never eats. Why his voice sounded so echoey when he spoke. As if he were hollow.

My mind clicked, like it had inadvertently come up with the correct scenario.

Hollow? Was it possible?

"Uh, Rayne? Is something wrong?" He asked nervously. There it was again! That strange echo! I smirked. Interesting. I stood up and sat myself down on one of his huge legs, like a child would for the Santa Claus at the mall. Both Ed and Al were looking at me now. Al shifted nervously under me. He looked down at me. I stared into the small eye holes to see if I could see his eyes past the red glow. Nothing. I looked down and placed my hand on the cold breast plate of his armor. No heart beat.

"Rayne?" The metal vibrated under my fingertips strangely. I looked down, amazed at the feeling. It felt as if I had placed my hand on the speaker of a radio at full volume.

Was he actually hollow? But that's impossible! Then again, the whole past three months seemed to be one impossibility after the next, so who was I to judge? Ed was looking intensely at me, his face paler than normal. This must have had something to do with their past.

I frowned slightly. Ed and Al's reactions to anything related to their past worried me. Something truly terrible must have happened to them for them to end up in the states they were in. There was no way someone could have lost there entire body in a war, as Ed claimed had happened with his limbs (lie detector had gone off then), and it probably was connected to Ed's automail.

The look on Ed's face whenever his past came up made me want to cry and hug him at the same time. He looked so sad and guilty and downright ill at the very thought of it. His eyes looked much too old for a boy his age. What he had been through was obviously more traumatic and horrifying than my little sob story. My heart ached when I thought that these two wonderful boys had to go through something so awful. They didn't deserve it.

It would be awhile before either of them trusted me enough with the truth, and I wanted to be ready for that time. I wanted to be able to understand. I looked over at Ed who was watching me. he had that same sad look on his face that made me want to tear my heart out and all i wanted to do was wipe it away. And I knew just the way to do it.

I looked meaning fully down at Al's armor and widened my eyes dramatically. Ed leaned forward with a look of dread on his face. Probably thinking I had figured them out. Though I had figured some of it out, I didn't want them to worry about it until they were comfortable with me having that knowledge. Anything to get that look off Ed's face.

"Al, your armor..." I paused, internally snickering when I could hear Ed's sharp intake of breath. I waited, relishing in the false suspense.

"... it's so shiny!" I concluded anti-climactically. I heard Al sigh the same time I heard a loud crash behind me. I looked back to see that Ed had face planted the floor after leaning forward too far. I laughed loudly and got up to my feet to help him. Though he looked annoyed with himself, he too, looked relieved. It was so much nicer to look at his face when it wasn't clouded with sadness and regret.

I sat back in my original seat by the window and watched as Ed tried to retrieve the scattered papers he had dropped on the floor when he fell. He looked rather cute when he was flustered.

I shook my head. That was dangerous thinking. But who was I kidding? I think it's safe to say I already had a huge crush on Edward Elric. Lord what's happening to me? Every time he looked at me with those golden eyes I could feel my heart beat a little bit faster. Was this how crushes were supposed to work? You know the guy for three months but rarely see him and suddenly you start to like him? Though I'd had no prior experience to go off of, I was pretty sure that wasn't it. There was just something about Ed that drew me to him. There was something important I had to do in this world, and I'd bet my ass it had something to do with him. I could feel it in my bones.

I leaned my head against the window and looked at him out of the corner of my eye and smiled. He had just dropped the whole stack of papers he had gathered and spilled them all over Al. I laughed when he yelled in frustration as one of the papers ripped against one of the sharp spikes on Al's armor. He should really work on that temper of his...

And with that last thought, I drifted off into the most peaceful sleep I'd had in a long time.

**_One thing you got to know about Rayne, she is very clever, so don't be so surprised that she found out about Al on her own. Frankly, I'm surprised that more people _don't_ notice. I know it got kinda deep there at the ending, but just go with it. She's never had feelings for anyone before and since the sensation is so new and fresh, it feels stronger, and she's not sure what to make of it. I know I felt that way for my first crush...though I was ten so guess it doesn't count. Anyway, review and let me know what you think! Suggestions, opinions, criticism, and questions are greatly appreciated! _**


	7. Chapter 7

_** And I still don't own Fullmetal Alchemist!**_

Ed's POV:

Was this girl trying to give me a heart attack? Here I was, sure that she'd discovered our secret, and then she goes and says something random like that! Not to mention I'd mixed up all of my paperwork. I could imagine what that bastard colonel would have to say about it...

Imaginary Mustang voice: "Oh hey Fullmetal, what happened to you paper work? Did you drop it or something? Oh that's right! That stack of papers was probably too big for you to carry! I'll make sure to take that into consideration next time. Ahahaha!"

I could already see it. That jerk. Just thinking about it made me mad. I roughly grabbed a wrinkled piece of paper and tried to smooth it out.

Suddenly, a heavy weight hit my shoulder and I looked over, startled, to see what it was. Rayne had obviously fallen asleep, as her head now rested on my arm. She looked so incredibly peaceful when she slept, maybe she was having a good dream.

Over the time I had known her, especially when I'd first met her, I had noticed a few things about her. The shadows under her eyes, the slightly defensive way she held her body, hunched a bit as if she were expecting a rebuff at any time, the way she would jump at loud noises, or how her eyes would shift nervously, like she was waiting for something bad to happen. These things had slowly gotten better over time, so much that I hardly noticed them anymore. Winry had obviously been a good influence on her. But there were still some traces of it left even now.

But right now as she slept, all of that disappeared. I couldn't stop myself from sweeping my eyes across her face. She really was very pretty. Full lips, long thick eyelashes, unblemished white skin. And her hair, the most beautiful crimson shade I'd ever seen, as red as my coat. If I didn't know better I would have thought she dyed it. The only imperfection I saw on her face was the long scar over her right eyebrow. If I looked closer I could just make out a bit of the same scar trailing down onto her cheekbone. From the placement of it, I was surprised she could still see out of that eye.

I had once asked her how she got the scar and she told me she'd cut it on the corner of a glass table after she'd tripped. All the scars on her body had a similar story. I didn't quite believe her, as I hadn't once caught her being clumsy since I'd met her, but accepted it without another option to go off of. Though every time I'd asked about the night she came here, she would go dead silent, like something bad would happen if she told us.

I still had my suspicions that she used human transmutation, how else would she have seen the Truth? Yet she really seemed surprised when she woke up, and didn't even believe me when I told her she used alchemy. How could she use something she didn't even know existed? And then there was that place, what was it, America, that she said she came from. Was that country even on this planet? I'd never left Amestris so I wouldn't know, but it didn't sound familiar. Of course, she could be lying about everything. I just couldn't tell with her. She was just so weird.

She mumbled something under her breath. A sleep talker? She mumbled something again, this time I could just make out the word "mommy" before she became unintelligable again. The word brought back the memory of my own mother, the way I liked to remember her. How she would smile happily at me and Al whenever we showed her a product of our alchemy.

I smiled and put my hand on her head, the way mom used to for me when I was little. Her hair was so soft, like velvet, and before I knew what I was doing I was running my fingers through the long red locks. It was so silky under my fingertips, it felt nice. She smiled in her sleep and shifted to a more comfortable position on my shoulder. Al giggled from across the compartment and I blushed, embarrassed that I'd forgotten he was there. He made a motion with his hands for me to keep going, as I had stopped running my fingers over her hair. I continued hesitantly, though still with a red face and she sighed happily in her sleep.

I wasn't going to lie, the girl was strange. But I couldn't deny that making her happy made me feel happy. Having her around made me feel, I don't know, different. I couldn't put a name to the feeling. But I wasn't one to dwell on these kinds of things, it made my brain hurt.

The scent of cinnamon and old books drifted up to me and I smiled. It was a nice smell. She shifted again, nuzzling her face against the side of my neck like a child. I couldn't stop the tomato red blush that spread across my cheeks. I wasn't used to anyone being that close, at least no one that wouldn't throw a wrench at me afterwards. Al tried to stifle another laugh and I glared at him. He was enjoying seeing me so out of my element. I wanted to push her off, to stop Al from making fun of me, but found that I couldn't. It just felt wrong to disturb such a peaceful sleep.

I had heard from Winry and Granny that the girl had nightmares. Terrible nightmares that had her screaming in her sleep, waking the whole Rockbell house. I suspected that they knew what they were about, and I tried to get them to tell me, but they wouldn't breath a word. I was no stranger to bad dreams, that fateful night four years ago still haunted my mind. I wonder what could have happened to the girl to make her so frightened?

I sighed and leaned my head against the cushioned train seats, not knowing what to do. It would take us another four hours to get to Central, and all my paperwork was done. I looked over at Rayne, who was still sleeping happily on my shoulder, my hand still in her carmine hair. I could feel my eyelids start to get heavier. I hadn't gotten that much sleep lately and I guess it was finally catching up with me. I decided to follow Rayne's example and take a little snooze. I felt my arm slip from the girls hair just as I finally drifted into unconsciousness.

_**I couldn't stop myself from getting a little bit of Ed's POV in here. I do enjoy a good fluff chapter every new and then. I thought it might be important for you readers to know what's going on inside that blonde head of his, plus, his point of view will become important later in the story. I think Ill have them meet Mustang in either the next chapter or the one after that. if you have any ideas for what kind of mission they should go on, please tell me. Review please!**_


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